The Mechanic And His Clockwork Heart
by Noxialis
Summary: -AU- There was once a mechanic who created his very own heart, and who stumbled across experiences of breaking and healing because of this heart. - 5148, with some 10048 -


**Title: **The Mechanic And His Clockwork Heart

**Rating: **T

**Pairing: **5148 (Shouichi/Spanner), as well as mentions of one-sided 4827 (Spanner/Tsuna) as well as 10048 (Byakuran/Spanner) and Tsuna/Kyoko.

**Notes: **AU. Set somewhere around early 1900's.

Spanner creates a clockwork heart that leads him to experience a pounding in his own heart.

I own all the words on this page.

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a brilliantly gifted man that went by the name of Spanner. His hands were blessed and could create the finest wire sculptures and clocks, and he chose to open a repair shop. Clocks were his specialty, and everyone in town had come to his shop for their clock's tune-up at least once, but he repaired other devices as well, and earned a merry income. Spanner was a satisfied man, and loved twisting and turning the delicate machinery in a clock while he sucked on a lollipop. It was a very calming practice, though Spanner often had nothing to do, since he had repaired everyone's things so well that they didn't need to come in.

So he chose to create something, rather than simply repair it, and designed a beautiful clockwork heart that would hang in a gilt cage. He rummaged through his extra supplies and found everything he needed to start on his newest creation, and worked on it whenever there were no other repairs to be done. It gave him great joy to create something completely new, rather than just fixing someone else's work, and many a time did he skip lunch in order to work on it a little bit longer.

It was during this time of great joy that he heard disheartening news. It was a small town, so gossip traveled fast, and Spanner overheard it from the lips of two young ladies who had entered his shop to browse through the clocks he hung up for sale, old things that he had made years ago. It felt more to him like they came in just to taunt him.

"I hear that Tsunayoshi is getting married next month." One lady, her blonde hair dull in the pale light of the shop, said as though it were the most casual thing in the world.

"Oh yes." Replied the other, picking up a bedside clock and examining it as though she had a clue as to its inner workings. "Kyoko is so pleased. I'm helping her pick out a dress this weekend."

Their conversation continued, but Spanner's ears had drowned them out, the own heavy thumping of his sadden heart filling his head. The pieces of metal he now held, slowly starting to form the shape of a heart, felt heavy in his hands. He had long adored Tsuna, ever since the boy – no, man, Spanner had to remind himself, since Tsuna had always had a bit of a baby face – first came into his shop, asking timidly if the man would be able to fix an antique gun that had been given to him by his tutor. The man was so cute, then and now, but Spanner had done nothing but watched and let him slip between his fingers like a thin chain that snaked out of his palm.

After that, Spanner only threw himself into his work even more, trying to cover up his sadness in metal and gears and a touch of lubricating oil. Slowly, the clockwork heart was taking shape, and Spanner found his heart lightened at the sight of his masterpiece. He poured his soul into this work, and soon it began ticking with a steady rhythm that Spanner had chosen to calibrate in time with his own heartbeat. On average, at least, for heartbeats sometimes quickened or slowed. Spanner was proud of his work, and set the heart aside to mould the golden cage from which he could display it. This took less time than the heart, though he took careful time to twist and turn the thin golden wires into a swirling pattern. Smiling happily, Spanner attached a short chain to the heart and attached that to the top of the cage, letting the ticking piece of metal hang shiny and glittering within its golden cage, which Spanner attached a golden bottom to and placed it by his cash register.

All his customers couldn't help but stop and point in amazement at the beauty of the clockwork heart, and many asked if such a thing was for sale. But Spanner knew he could only make the one, since no copy could ever hold the same amount of spirit he had poured in, and thus said that he could make no other. Countless offers were made to buy the one he had already made, but Spanner had no more need for money, as his repair business was doing very well, and so turned down all offers.

It had not been more than two weeks since its creation that the clockwork heart was stolen in the night. Spanner awoke in the back room and flung open the door connecting his house to his store, and found the window broken and the heart gone. Spanner despaired that his prize accomplishment had been taken, and filed a police report to Mr. Hibari. There was a small investigation, then Spanner was able to replace the glass in his window, but the clockwork heart was irreplaceable.

Still, in his sorrow, Spanner continued his work, knowing that it was the only thing that had a chance to return some happiness to him, and was so introduced to a man new to town. He had introduced himself as Byakuran, and held out a wristwatch for Spanner to fix. Spanner nodded mutely, unable to take his eyes off the pale hair and mysterious eyes of this stranger, and found himself wishing for the man to stay. He went to his workbench while Byakuran wandered around the store, lightly touching a few choice clocks and items while Spanner began work on the wristwatch.

"So what brings you to town?" Spanner found himself asking, surprised at himself. He had never before chosen to strike up a conversation with a customer, though he often found himself chatting with one anyways, since everyone knew everyone.

Byakuran smiled his mysterious smile, and Spanner found his heart skipping a beat. "Oh, there are a few things I wanted." He said, turning his back to Spanner so he could pick up a small clock in the shape of a chirping bird. "My family has a house here, so I'm living here until I'm done."

"How long will that be?" Spanner found himself asking too quickly, the thought that the man might only be there for one conversation striking Spanner as a little frightening. Byakuran raised an eyebrow, but let loose a soft chuckle.

"I'm not sure. A week or two, I suppose."

"Ah."

Spanner had not known what else to say, but he desired Byakuran's presence to linger longer, and so looked down at the small wristwatch on his table. It was a simple problem, and all he needed to do was replace one of the gears, but he found himself knowing at Byakuran wouldn't know any better.

"What are you doing?" Byakuran asked, curiosity in his voice as he watched Spanner fumble around behind his desk.

"I'm looking for a gear piece." Spanner said, seeing the right size in view. "Your watch has an irregular size, so it may take a bit of work."

"Whatever it takes." Byakuran replied, and Spanner looked up in time to see that mysterious, somehow charming, smile of Byakuran's. Spanner flushed and ducked back under the desk to hide the heat in his cheeks, pretending to fumble around with the sizes for a while longer. Byakuran had seemed to be perspective on some points, as he picked up the conversation, allowing the two of them to chat longer, until Spanner decided that he should have found the right size by now and started actually working on the watch.

Byakuran gratefully accepted the repaired watch and took out his wallet, but Spanner insisted that the first time would be free. Byakuran chuckled and nodded his thanks to Spanner, opening the door and exiting as he strapped the leather band around his wrist.

Spanner did his weekly shopping the next day, finding his heart lighter for a reason, and was surprised when he bumped into Tsuna. The man apologized for not looking where he was going, and Spanner simply smiled at him, too surprised at his own heart to care about how much Tsuna thought it was his fault. He would have expected his chest to ache and for his face to pale at the mere sight of Tsuna, at the reminder of what he pined for but could never have, yet he felt nothing. It was as if the feelings had been swept away without Spanner's notice, and the man found that he didn't mind. So he bid Tsuna a good day and continued on his grocery shopping.

Byakuran dropped by the store multiple times over that week, claiming that he was too clumsy for his own good. Spanner hoped it was a lie, and that Byakuran was simply looking for excuses to see him. Spanner himself was making excuses to prolong Byakuran's visits, though the man never seemed to mind. He repaired Byakuran's car, his telephone, and his camera, all on multiple occasions, and Spanner found himself inexplicably merry. It was almost enough to make him forget about his stolen clockwork heart.

It was exactly two weeks after Byakuran first walked into his store that Spanner got a phone call from the man, stating that his car wouldn't start, so he couldn't bring it in for repair. Spanner promised to go straight to his house, and nearly jumped out of his chair in excitement. Byakuran told him his address and Spanner placed a 'Closed' sign on his door, almost forgetting to lock it behind him. But he strapped all the tools he thought he would need around his waist and put a few more in a bag and closed up shop for however long it would take to fix Byakuran's car.

Spanner was so very happy, and made sure to double check that he was at the right address before stepping past the gate and knocking lightly at Byakuran's door. The white-haired man answered with that smile and led Spanner to the car, explaining the exact noises the engine had made before the puff of smoke emerged from under the hood. Spanner lifted the hood and rummaged around, oil and grease smearing over his hands and his rolled up sleeves before he located and fixed the problem. He flashed Byakuran a smile as he fished a rag out of his bag to wipe his hands clean. He reported the car fixed, and Byakuran turned the ignition to make sure.

The car roared to life, a familiar purr erupting from under the engine, and Byakuran smiled, pleased. The car was turned off and Byakuran felt the necessity to invite Spanner in for a snack, since he came all this way. Spanner eagerly followed him to the kitchen, where Byakuran showed him a package of marshmallows, which Byakuran eagerly delved into. Spanner had never tried such a new treat before – well, he knew it wasn't new, because while he was bored one time he looked into the history of various confectionary treats and discovered they were enjoyed by Egyptians thousands of years ago – but if Byakuran liked them, he was sure to like them as well.

Byakuran had excused himself to the washroom, so Spanner chose to wander into the den that was connected to the kitchen, marveling upon Byakuran's expensive tastes. Everything was so lavish and beautiful, full of rich reds and golds, and a particularly shiny object that was too familiar. Spanner only had to take one step forward to recognize his clockwork heart, but he chose to step closer and closer in the vain hopes that it would somehow change to some other object if he got close enough. Byakuran couldn't have possibly stolen his heart, could he? No, Spanner was so sure.

But he wasn't, and when Byakuran entered the doorframe, Spanner had to ask. "Is this my clockwork heart sitting atop your mantle?"

Byakuran glanced at it and leaned against the doorframe, smiling his mysterious smile. "Hmm, yes. It is."

Spanner felt so betrayed. "Why did you steal it from me?" he inquired, his voice too loud and cracking for it to sound as calm as Spanner wished. He wished his voice would stay as calm as Byakuran's. The other man gave no more of an answer than a small hum and a shrug of his shoulders, and Spanner stared at him, suddenly realizing his smile wasn't a mysterious smile at all, but a smirk. He was constantly smirking at the blonde mechanic, wondering just how long it would take for him to find out he had stolen the heart, if he ever found out at all.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Spanner demanded an answer, and Byakuran still denied him one. Spanner gritted his teeth and took a careful hold of his heart's cage. "I'm taking this back. And I'm reporting you to Constable Hibari!" Spanner stomped forwards, hoping that his footsteps would somehow be imprinted into Byakuran's rug, a mark of Spanner's anger forever etched into the other's home.

Byakuran's arm was blocking his path, and he smiled that smirk down at Spanner. "But I haven't paid you for fixing my car. I am a customer, and it's not my first request."

"I will not let you bribe me!" Spanner said, angry at the insinuation. Byakuran laughed, and Spanner realized even his laugh was demeaning.

"No, no, I simply want to pay you for your work." And so Byakuran got out his wallet and counted out the exact number of bills that would equal Spanner's labour, and held them out for Spanner to take. Spanner, after a long consideration, took one hand away from the gilt cage to take the money, and Byakuran's other hand shot out and crunched its boney fingers around the delicate metal of the cage. Spanner cried out, the money forgotten as he tried to regain his grip on his clockwork heart, but Byakuran wrenched it out of his grip.

"If there is no evidence," he stated, backing away from Spanner's reach. "Then there is no link of me to the crime." And while Spanner knew what was going to happen, the moment passed by like a cinema, where he desperately yelled at himself to move faster, but the camera captured everything in slow motion, and the cage was thrust towards the ground before Spanner's eyes could follow it.

The golden wires easily bent flat against the ground, pressed off to the side and up and every way other than the way they were supposed to be. And the clockwork heart broke away from its chain and shattered against the ground, the soft carpet doing nothing to cushion the blow. The steady tick tocking jarred to a halt with a weary whine that was drowned out by Spanner's cry. He sank to his knees, fingers hesitantly hovering over the broken heart, unsure of whether he should try and touch it yet. Byakuran's heavy footsteps echoed within his empty mind, growing softer and softer until the roar of an engine drowned out everything. Spanner gathered up all the gears and scraps and pieces of his masterpiece and placed them in a small pocket in his bag. Streaks of liquid sorrow streamed down his cheeks as he left the empty house.

The seat at his workbench seemed to be a foreboding figure, as though warning him that there was nothing he could do. But Spanner sat himself down and turned on his working lights and spread the pieces out on the table before him. He looked at them and they were alien, and Spanner could not remember what went where or how it was supposed to work. He took his favourite flavour of lollipop and stuck in his mouth harder than he used to, the candy chipping upon contact with his molars. Still he sucked on it, praying for the old blessed hands to come back and fix this heart, but while he sat at the table for days, staring at the pieces, he could not find a way to put them back together again.

Tsuna's wedding came, and Spanner excused himself from the festivities, claiming he had a cold. Tsuna mentioned that he looked a little pale, and Spanner felt all the more saddened at that mention. He did not want to cause the man worry, so he faked his best smile and wished Tsuna a merry wedding and honeymoon, and then holed himself up in his shop, wondering why he had even bothered to keep the 'Open' sign up when everyone was busy. He sighed and began his daily staring session with the remains of the clockwork heart, but could not find the spirit to even try and tinker with some possible configurations.

The bell rang out, a sharp tinkle cutting through the silent atmosphere and causing Spanner to jump up and be thankful that he wasn't holding onto any delicate machinery. His gaze lifted away from his workbench to the doorway where a man stood. He had bright red hair and spectacles slipping down his nose, and in his hand he carried a small wristwatch.

"Excuse me," the stranger asked. "But I was hoping you might fix my watch?"

Spanner stood up from the workbench, turning the light off as though hiding his shamefully broken masterpiece. He walked over to the man and took a hold of the wristwatch, examining it with a quick eye. He nodded, assuring the man he would be able to fix this, and set it upon the desk that held the register. He delved into the desk for his tools and opened the back of the watch, examining the gears while the stranger wandered around the store like so many others before him.

The man stopped when he reached the workbench, and flipped on the light, the motion attracting the mechanic's attention, and his face paled with shame of having his clockwork heart looked at in this state.

"What is this?" the man asked, and Spanner ducked his head, his swirling hair slipping lower to disguise his eyes.

"Just… something broken…"

"It looks rather pretty…" the stranger said, picking up the largest part of the clockwork heart, the only reason it was still recognizable as a heart. "I bet it looked magnificent when it was whole."

"Yeah…" Spanner said sadly, and replaced a small gear in the wristwatch. At least he was still able to do this. "But I cannot fix it. It is the one thing I cannot fix it. I created it, but I just…" He exhaled sadly, releasing his feelings in that one breath.

"May I take a look?" the stranger asked, and Spanner looked at him with a question in his eyes. The bespectacled man flushed a little and scratched the back of his head. "I certainly don't know as much about fixing things as you, but I would like to try my hand at it. I cannot mess it up any more, do you think?" He gave a small laugh, a nervous laugh, and Spanner found it almost refreshing. This stranger, who knew nothing about him, was not hurting him, was not being hurt from looking at Spanner's hurt face. He was simply easing Spanner's wounds, cooling them like a bag of ice against a nasty bruise.

"Feel free to." Spanner said, and screwed the back onto the man's watch. "But I have already finished repairing your watch."

The man laughed again, a bit more natural this time. "My, you're fast! Then I suppose you'll just have to busy yourself with conversation while I look at this." The man took a seat in Spanner's chair, shifting closer to the workbench and moving the light so he saw the pieces in a different viewpoint. "My name is Shouichi, by the way."

"Spanner." The blonde mechanic stated, and rolled the wristwatch between his fingers for a few moments. "So what brings you into town today, Shouichi?"

"Mmm, I just quit my job." Shouichi said, leaning closer to the broken clockwork heart. "My employer got outed as a thief, so our company was going to go down. I chose to get out early. Of course, now I need a new job, and I decided to come to this town seeing as how it's fairly close. And I liked the close-knit feel it has. It'd probably take me a while to worm into that close-knit family, though." He added with another nervous laugh, and picked up a gear, holding it close to the light. "But I'm renting a room to live in and looking for work to sustain myself."

"Sounds like quite the story." Spanner said, walking over with the watch.

"Not so much. Lots of stories like that, they're very regular." Shouichi said, smiling. He put the gear down and shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "So what's going on in town today? There seems to be nobody but you anywhere…"

"Ah," Spanner said, a wistful smile on his face. "Wedding."

"And you didn't go?" Shouichi said, turning his head and raising an eyebrow ever so slightly.

Spanner gave the man a small smile. "Someone has to man the shop for poor, bespectacled men yearning for a fixed watch and a chance to fix a heart."

Shouichi gave him a soft laugh and a dazzling smile.

The man came to Spanner's shop every day after that, bringing a lunch for the two of them every time. They settled into a pattern, where Spanner would open up the shop at his usual time, usually get a couple of customers in the few hours before Shouichi showed up, displaying the boxes of lunch he would have made or bought – Shouichi never revealed where the lunches ever came from – and the two would have a bit of a meal before they worked. Shouichi would go over to the workbench and tinker with the clockwork heart while Spanner usually had a customer's order to fix up. If not, he would spend more time eating the lunch Shouichi brought for him, a bit of small talk brought up between the two of them before they descended into a comfortable silence. Shouichi would stay for five hours before he left, and Spanner would look at the clockwork heart to see if anything was actually being done.

He almost wished nothing would get done, and that Shouichi would keep coming back to the store to talk and bring lunch and work on the heart that would never be fixed. But a part of Spanner did want to see his masterpiece brought back to life, to see it shining and glittering, and to hear the steady tick tock of his own heartbeat. So he would stroke the pieces rather then array them in a mish-mash and turn off all the lights. He would turn the sign over to say 'Closed' and lock the door, and he would then go to bed and look forward to the inevitable visit of Shouichi tomorrow.

This pattern went on for a few weeks before Spanner got the courage to ask Shouichi why exactly he was bothering with the clockwork heart. He was spending so much time on it, even after he had gotten a nighttime job that seemed to have been made to fit around the pattern they had already fallen into. Shouichi had given him a puzzled look, then smiled.

"It's a fun challenge. Very interesting, and since I've never really tried my hand at anything mechanical, I think I'm doing a rather good job. Besides," He looked up from the mechanical pieces to stare right into Spanner's blue eyes. "It's very enjoyable, spending this time with you." Despite his better sense, Spanner's face flushed, and Shouichi had to look down at the little heart in his hands to make sure it wasn't moving. But, oh, how strange! He was sure he had just heard it tick.

It took another couple of weeks before the little heart began making noises again, and Shouichi attached the last gear into place. He smiled softly at the quiet clunk it made, and the soft screech of the gear as they tried to move their tired cogs. Shouichi reached over and took in his hands a bottle of lubricating oil, placing droplets into the mechanics of the heart until it moved smoother than a bolt of silk. The sweet 'tick tock' could now be heard, and its chime resonated throughout the whole store, alerting the attention of Spanner and Tsuna.

"Oh! Shouichi, you've finally fixed it?" Tsuna said excitedly, momentarily forgetting about the repairs he was talking to Spanner about. He peered over Shouichi's shoulder, nodding in amazement at how the clockwork heart looked nearly identical to its original form now. Certainly it could not be exactly the same, but it was still beautiful and sounded even stronger than before, the tick tock sound swiftly cutting into one's ears, but still soft enough to be considered music.

"I think so." Shouichi said, a touch of embarrassment at the amazement shining in Tsuna's eyes. His cheeks were flushed with pride and he sneaked a glance at Spanner, who was peering at them, still hidden by the desk. He gave a soft laugh. "Tsuna, don't you still have to pay Spanner?"

Tsuna burst with realization and hurried back to the counter, where he counted out his money to a chuckling Spanner. Upon reaching the right amount, Spanner took the bills, handing a few coins back in change. Tsuna dipped his head in thanks and headed towards the door.

"Give my regards to Kyoko." Spanner called after him, and Tsuna grinned and waved a farewell, then chime of the door's bell overlapping the clockwork heart's beat for a second. Spanner then walked over to Shouichi's side to see with his own eyes the re-completed clockwork heart. Shouichi held it out for Spanner to take in his hands, and he rolled the cool metal in his palm for a moment, as though checking to see if it would crumble with the slight motion.

But it was there, his clockwork heart. Completed and whole again. The damage wrought by Byakuran had been masked – no, healed – by Shouichi. It wasn't the same as before. There were lines of overlapping metals that had been made by Shouichi's inexperienced hands, hands that had not been blessed to create and repair delicate workings, yet they had managed to heal this one thing. This one thing, so important to Spanner, was handled and tended after by the bespectacled man. Shouichi had not given up, even though it had taken him over a month to complete the project. It had been hours upon hours that could have easily been a waste of time, except for the fact that the man had not given up.

"I can't fix the cage, though." Shouichi piped up. Spanner broke away from his thoughts to look at Shouichi. " It was some amazing perseverance and flukes that allowed me to fix that, but I don't know anything about the cage… I'm sorry." Shouichi was apologetic, and Spanner stared at him incredulously. He had fixed an amazing clockwork heart, and he still was not satisfied, because he didn't know how to bend the bars of the cage to recreate another something he had never seen before. "I think it's going a little faster too…"

'_That's only because you're standing right next to me…'_ Spanner's thoughts put into words the actions his heart had done at that moment. Indeed, the tick tock sound of the clockwork heart had gone faster, ever so slightly, just enough to be noticeable. Yet it still matched up with Spanner's own heartbeat, a 'ba-bump ba-bump' sound of rushing blood that created a beautiful chorus with the 'tick tock tick tock' of his other, metal heart.

But Spanner just smiled and shook his head softly. "That's alright. I don't mind." He could never vocalize those thoughts. Shouichi smiled gratefully at him, and Spanner felt a compulsion. He stopped for a second, then hurried behind his desk, leaving Shouichi to stare at his bobbing blonde head curiously. When Spanner emerged, he held a small golden chain in his hand. The loop on the heart that allowed it to hang from the gilt cage was used to loop this longer chain around, and Shouichi saw from how the chain clasped together that it was a necklace chain.

"Here." Spanner said simply, holding the heart out by the two ends of the chain, and Shouichi looked at him.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly… It's yours…"

"Yes, it is mine. And as such, it is mine to give to you. Or," Spanner's arms slackened ever so slightly at the thought. "Do you not want it?"

Shouichi took only a second to smile calmly at Spanner and lightly touch each of Spanner's wrists with his hands, leaning his head forward ever so slightly to expose his neck. Spanner smiled and reached out, clasping the ends of the chain together and pulling his hands back, the tips of his fingers brushing softly against the warm skin of Shouichi's cheeks. They stood smiling at each other before Shouichi broke the silence with a nervous chuckle.

"I feel I should pay you for something this wonderful."

"Don't." Spanner said, shaking his head slightly. "Just… promise you won't stop coming in."

Shouichi smiled softly. "I was planning on coming back anyway, there's no need to make some whole new promise." Spanner smiled, a flush rising to his cheeks, knowing how silly he must look then for doubting that Shouichi would return. He did not feel anymore need to feel embarrassed, however, after another look at Shouichi's calming face, and the two stood there for a moment, reveling in the comfortable silence that accompanied them, broken only by the soft tick tock of the heart around Shouichi's neck.

Then, Shouichi reached forwards, the backs of his fingers brushing against Spanner's cheek in a tender way, a soft tickle slipping down to the side of his jaw. Shouichi smiled at the flush that rose again in Spanner's cheeks. "What do you think I should bring for lunch tomorrow?" he asked, in a way as tender as his touch.

Spanner smiled, ducking his head so Shouichi's fingers brushed strands of golden hair, and he lightly touched the other's palm with his own fingertips. "I think I'd like to go out, if that's okay with you."

END


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